@#$%! Hippies

comments: 2

@#$%! Hippies
or: Down With Puppies

Among the many lessons I learned from Ditko was how to separate art from the artist. Hard going when you find your hero thinks you're idiot scum. It perplexes me how one who was becoming a hard core Randian would take offense with standing against racism, sexism, war.

While Kirby's attempts at hippies were silly, he treated us with respect. I still remember an issue of Thor where, while Thor found our speech and manner of dress to be most passing strange, he recognized our hearts as good. Steve? He thought we were unbathed, snarling clowns.

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It's amazing that someone who could depict the nuances and heartaches of being a teenager so acutely as Ditko did with Spider-Man would be so hostile to the great youth movement of his time.

Joe Simon was like Kirby in that respect, an old school New Deal liberal who tried to understand the youth culture of the 1960's and 1970's. Simon's co-creation of Prez Rickard was the clearest expression of that sympathy. Like Kirby, he didn't quite understand the kids of his day, but also like Kirby, Simon was fundamentally respectful and open-minded.

You don’t have to understand kids but, if you want their readership, you have to respect them.

When I sat back to admire my first shot at designing 14 year old Chance Falconer it hit me: If a 40 year old man thinks it’s cool it has to be wrong!

Thinking back to my youth, the only thing that would get you beat up faster than wearing your cap backwards was telling someone their mother wore army boots. Nowadays, army boots on women and backward caps are ubiquitous.

If you ever wondered why Chance wears biker boots, backwards cap and a duster three times too big (questions which most likely haunt your very soul) it’s because they baffle me. I just don’t get it. But, baffling the big people is what kids are for and ya’ gotta’ love ’em for it.